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More than a year has already passed since the beginning of the active phase of the war with Russia, which was not limited to land, water and air, but also included a struggle for control of power grids.

The date of February 24, 2022 was not only the day of Russia's attack on Ukraine, but also the beginning of the operation of the Ukrainian energy system in a mode isolated from the energy systems of Russia and Belarus. In March 2022, the energy system of Ukraine was synchronized with the European electricity grid ENTSO-E. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, noted that this step allowed Ukraine to become a member of the "Energy European Union". This is the main technological breakthrough in the 30 years of the country's independence!

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Ukraine's energy system has withstood dozens of drone and missile attacks on energy facilities. During the year of the war, the Ukrainian energy system suffered significant destruction and damage to the distribution and main power grids. Also, a significant number of traditional power plants were captured or damaged, including the largest in Ukraine and Europe - ZAEP. This led to a power shortage of more than 10 GW.

In the south and east of Ukraine, several GW of electricity produced by alternative energy facilities became unavailable. In addition, alternative energy received two more blows, which significantly worsened its condition in Ukraine. First, the cost of electricity under the "green" tariff decreased by 3-6 times, which was a financial blow for investors in this industry. Secondly, in the spring and summer of 2022, the operation of the active RES facilities was severely limited due to the imbalance between consumption and generation. This happened because many enterprises stopped and millions of Ukrainian citizens went abroad, which led to a drop in electricity consumption by no less than 4 GW.

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At the same time, a new technological revolution is taking place in the world. Over the next dozen years, all available technologies will continue to be used in the energy sector, but the driver of changes in the energy sector will be an efficient decentralized combination of various types of generation (NPP, HPP, SES, WPP, bioES, BESS, hydrogen, etc.) and automation of technological processes.

Briefly about the key trends in energy, which have already begun to develop in Ukraine:

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1. There is a need for electricity storage facilities (industrial storage) to maintain/restore the frequency. This need is 760-2000 MW, depending on the operating mode of RES.
2. Ukraine also has a great need for highly maneuverable power generation with a total capacity of more than 2,000 MW. Technically, gas piston generators are ideal for this mission. But it is not clear whether such projects will be implemented by the state, which is quite inefficient in the construction of new facilities? Are private investors who have no economic incentives to implement this market?
3. After the destruction of all oil refineries and oil storage facilities in Ukraine by Russia, there was a high demand for bioethanol as an additional source of fuel. The presence of a huge market for grain crops makes it possible to develop this market.
4. The fuel crisis in 2022 and, as a result, the law on the development of electric charging infrastructure and electric vehicles adopted in 2023 are strong components of the further development of electric transport in Ukraine.
5. Due to the risks of power outages, agribusiness began to install bio-waste power plants to ensure the autonomous operation of their enterprises.
6. Ukraine can become a European hub of green hydrogen, thanks to an extensive gas transportation system, a developed alternative energy market and geographical proximity to the European Union. The construction of a 1,400 km long European hydrogen pipeline and a corresponding hydrogen hub in Eastern Slovakia provides such a chance.
7. More than 10 years of state support of the alternative energy sector at the expense of a high "green" tariff are coming to an end. But, on the one hand, synchronization with the European ENTSO-E network will provide a good opportunity to export "green" energy to Europe. On the other hand, in order to further develop this industry, the state needs to introduce economic incentives for the development of hybrid systems, for example, a solar power plant with electricity storage systems.

Due to the destruction caused by Russia in Ukraine in general and in energy in particular, Ukraine may become the first country in the world to switch to a new technological system.